Belt and method of making same



Dec. 5, 1939. w M. YEAKEL 2,182,461-

BEL'I' ND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Feb. 26, 1938 INVENTOR William MYeaKel ATTORNEY Patented bec. 5, 1939 v e I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,182,461 BELT ANDMETHOD oF MAKINGr SAME william M. Yeakel, Philadelphia, Pa. Application February 26, 1938, Serial No. 192,827 1 claim.V (ci. 74-237) The object of the invention is to provide ima similar section through a modiled'form of the provements in V belts and the method of making same; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a fragmentary porsame, with especial reference to so-called multition of one'of the improved belts of either of the ple-drive V belts. structures represented by Figs. 1 and 2 and in The V belt has certain well defined structural which the V portions extend longitudinally of the and operating characteristics, as compared with belt; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a fragmentary flat belts, and when greater power transmission portion of a grooved pulley in operative assois involved than can be taken care of by a sinciation with a belt of the type represented by Fig. gle V belt of standard cross section, it is custom- 3, but without showing the details of the lnl ary to use a plurality of such belts, lying in and ternal structure of the belt as in Figs. 1 and 2; l0

extending between parallel grooves in spaced Fig. 5 is a plan view of a fragmentary portion of pulleys, rather than by increasing the size of a one of thel improved lbelts of either of thestrucsingle belt, which latter would obviously result tures represented by Figs, 1 and 2, but in which in greatly increased Weight and bulk without the V portions. extend transversely of the belt;

proportionately increasing the aggregate of the Fig. 6 is a section of a fragmentary portion of a l5 tractive surfaces, to say nothing of requiring pulsprocket pulley or the like in operative associaley rims of much greater depth, and subjecting tion with a section of the type of-belt represented the belts per se to internal compressions, extenby Fig. 5, but without showing the details of the sions and transverse stresses of such a degree internal structure of the belt, as in Figs. 1 and 2;

l and nature as to make the resulting belt imprac- Fig. 7 is a plan view of a fragmentary portion 20 ticable for use with pulleys of small diameter. of the adjacent ends of a non-continuous belt of By contrast, probably any two (or more) puleither of the types herein disclosed operatively leys can be efficiently connected for power transsecured together and showing a portion of each mission purposes, by simply providing the necesof said ends broken away so as to expose the fabi sary number of grooves of proper shape in each ric forming an internal part of the belt struc- 25 pulley, to receive the required number of belts ture; and Fig 8 iS a Section' On the line 8-8 of of standard size and construction. However, in Fig. 7, when the V portions extend longitudinally.

all such cases the several belts are entirely in- In considering the follOWing description and dependent of one another, while by reason of the appended claims, it is to be understood that I ordinary manufacturing methods, there may octhe terms V belt and V portions of a belt are Bil cui" differences in the internal construction of intended to apply to any and all belts and porthe several belts of such a set, especially if made tions of belts, respectively, which in CI'OSS Section by different manufacturers, with resultingly difare characterized by conversing Surfaces, ferent operating characteristics, such as variawhether the central angle of the V shape is i tions in their density, elasticity,'frictionai copresent 0r not, and irrespective 0f the angular im efficients, tensile strength, et cetera. relationship between their surfaces, or whether Another object. therefore, is to provide in a such surfaces are plane, curved, or irregular, single integral belt all of the desirable features either transversely orlongitudinally. of a multi-beit of the v type, but without any Referring to Fie. 1, there is here shown a pluw I of the deciencies of the multi-beit assemblies rality of either longitudinally or transversely eX- s heretofore encountered; to provide a slightly tending V-belt DOrtiOns l0 uniting and across modified form in which the pulley-contacting the rear sides of which extends a web portion portions do not comprise sections of a single in- Il. The @Ore 0f each 0f the Said V portions iS tegral body, but are unitarily secured together formed in well-known manner, similar to that by means of a web as hereinafter described; used when forming single V belts, and preferably all and to provide methods of making each of said comprises a forwardly extending relatively comforms, y pressible core section l2 of relatively soft rubber. With the objects thus briefly stated, the invenand a rearwardly positioned core section I3 of tion comprises further details of construction relatively lessv soft rubber, in which latter are and operation, which are hereinafter fully embedded a plurality 0f COIdS I4 0f any de- 50 brought out in the following description, when sired number, size and construction and operaread in conjunction with the accompanying tive t0 provide a high degree of tensile strength drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a transverse section to the resulting belt structure. through a fragmentary portion of a belt show- This core in each case is provided with foring one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is wardly converging sides and a forward plain face 55 and protected by intervening and overlying rubber I5. 'I'his layer of rubberized fabric extends around the exposed lateral and forward surfaces of the composite core` I2-|3, and also across the space I'I between adjacent cores, and throughout the length of each such space becomes an integral part of the web I I, which in turn comprises a rearwardly directed layenof initially i separate rubberized fabric, comprising one or more courses of fabric I8 united yet spaced apart and protected by rubber I9, which latter by means ofvulcanizing or other suitable treatment coalesces with and thereafter becomes an integral rearward extension of said V portions, and at the same time provides both a'transverse and a longitudinal means of integrally `connecting the several V portions I0 together.

The result of this construction is toprovide a unitary belt, well adapted to take the place of the so-called multi-drive power transmission units now in use, and comprising entirely independent continuous V belts which may be and frequently are made by different manufacturers, and embody varying types of construction and physical operating characteristics. By contrast, the present improved belt possesses all of the desirable characteristics of the multiple V-belt assembliesV heretofore employed, so far as efliciency in power transmission is concerned, but without any of their undesirable features. Furthermore, whether the canvasv duck or other fabric I8 in the web Il is composed .of longitudinal and transverse fibre elements, or is instead composed of diagonally extending transverse fibre elements, the presence of 'such fabric, extending in rectilinear form substantially independently of the cordfabric-rubber structure of the V portions, provides elements for the eiiicient engagement of suitable fastening devices 20, which it has always been impossible heretofore to use in association with ordinary V belts, due to the fact that the individual V belts as such, and for that matter the V portions of the improved belt, are so thick and at the same time are so largely composed of relatively soft rubber, that such fastening means will not long holdunder ordinary operating conditions. This deficiency is also due to the fact that, while elongation of the wider rear portion of a V belt is prevented by the longitudinal cords I4, the narrower forward portion of such a belt alternately compresses and expands far differently from the said rear portion of such belt, as the latter passes around the periphery of a pulley, especially when such pulley is of relatively small diameter, and having in mind that such passage around a pulley may and frequently does occur at the rate of many hundreds of times per minute. By extending the fastening means 20 only through the fabric-containing web portion II and between adjacent V portions I0, such fastening means connect together portions of the improved belt, which do not come into direct contact with any portion of a pulley Isurface, and which are not subject to extreme changes in shape arising from extreme flexing and alternate compression, and expansion, due to the fact that the web itself is of relatively shallow thickness, and

contains preferably as many as four or more internal layers of fabric closely associated with one another, and thus also contributing to a substantially non-elastic web structure, which is relatively unyielding in its normal plane, while the layers I8 of fabric in the Webpreferably comprise lateral projections or continuations of the layers I5 in'the V portions, and may overlap if desired.

Referring to Fig. 2, there is here shownv a modified form of unitary belting in which a web 25 is provided, the same comprising alternate layers of rubber 26 and intervening fabric 21, the ends of which web may be secured together by the fastening means 20, as shown in Fig. '7. However, in this case there is secured to saidweb by vulcanizing, or other suitable means, spaced parallel portions of V belting 28, the core of each such portion being substantially as that hereinbefore described, but being completely. surrounded by a covering 29 of rubberized fabric, such fabric thus extending along the two opposite forwardly converging sides, and across the relatively narrower front face and the relatively wider rear face of said core. This type of belt is adapted for such cases as those in which it may for some reason be difficult to form the V portions 28 and the web 25 at the same time, or in the same mold, as is required in order to f orm the type shown in Fig. 1. However, such modified form of belt is well adapted for use under certain conditions, especially when the V portions 28 extend longitudinally of the belt as shown in Fig. 3, as in such case there is relatively little if any strain placed upon the plane of union between the said V and web portions, at least as compared with the condition existing when the said V portions extend transversely of the belt, as shown in Fig. 5, and which latter are employed in conjunction with sprocket wheels such as that shown in Fig. 6, as compared with the parallel grooved pulley represented by Fig. 4. I

Referring specifically to Fig. 4, a pulley is here -shown as comprising a rimI 30, provided with spaced grooves 3|, the opposite sides 32 of which taper so as to properly receive the correspondingly opposite sides of the V portions 33 of the belt, in which said V portions are either integrally or merely unitarily united by means of a web portion 34. By comparison, the sprocket wheel of Fig. 6 comprises a rim 35 provided circumferen, tially with transversely extending grooves 36, providing inwardly converging side walls 31 into which tend to wedge the corresponding laterally opposite surfaces of V portions 38, either integrally or merely unitarily connected together by a web portion 39.

Such a belt as that herein described provides a marked improvement in the art, and it is to be understood that the broad principles of its construction and operation contemplate any and all alterations or variations` which may fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A belt, comprising a plurality of V portions, and a web portion containing laminated rubber and fabric extending in a transverse plane and integrally connecting said V portions together, said V and web portions also being characterized by common courses of laminated fabric and rubber adjacent to their pulley-engageable surfaces.

WILLIAM M. YEAKEL. 

